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Author, editor, proof editor, copy editor, librarian, musician, producer, journalist, broadcaster, presenter, reporter, consultant – music, travel, tourism, musician and cat dad… that’s all Joe Shooman, with whom we did this interview on the occasion of the upcoming release of his new book. He has written a large number of books on music, technology, Internet culture, comedy, quizzes and more, is a contributor to the legendary Viz comic, and as a journalist and broadcaster he has worked for big national and international magazines, radios stations, TV and newspapers, where his main topics were music, entertainment, and sport. Although he also intends to publish his debut poetry manifesto in 2025, we are most interested in his new, upcoming book ’50 Years of the Beast’ on this page, and considering his two previous books on Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden, we are sure that the book will be a great success.

1. How your love for writing books began, and in parallel with how your love for Iron Maiden began.

Let’s start with Maiden because I really loved the band from the age of about eight years old. I had huge posters on my walls from Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind and Powerslave – all the Derek Riggs artwork in A1 size so BIG posters. In fact, Maiden art covered most of my bedroom walls. I also had a battle jacket with patches of Maiden, plus other NWOBHM and rock bands from Saxon to Motorhead and even Status Quo. I’ve still got that little jacket but it maybe fits my cat these days. I was fortunate that I got into Maiden in their first really huge surge to world fame. Powerslave is my favourite Maiden album and has been for nearly 40 years. I loved the melodies, the guitars, the driving bass and pounding drums, and I really enjoyed (and still do) the epic nature of the storytelling. For example, ‘Run to the Hills’ – which other band would sing about the destruction of the native Americans? I was a young lad from North Wales and so was getting a history lesson too! I always read a lot of novels and non-fiction books so Maiden also crossed over into that love I have always had for stories.

Perhaps unsurprisingly I later became a music journalist and found myself interviewing bands, writing about gigs, and essentially telling stories myself. The first book I did was in 2006 which was a biography of Trivium. I didn’t seek it out, but instead got asked to do it. Writing books about bands is a really amazing chance to get really, really into the details and nuances of a band’s career; the long form of the discipline allows for some deep investigation, and myth-busting too. It’s almost addictive when you start to uncover new information or a new angle on a band’s career, particularly when that info is not necessarily known widely or not part of the ‘official’ story. It really makes it worthwhile to add something new or different to the store of knowledge on that particular band or subject. I found I was a big fan of research as well as obviously interviewing the people that were there at the time. I wouldn’t write books if they were just going to be the same old stories re-hashed. What’s the point?

2. When and how did you feel that you were competent enough to write a book about Iron Maiden and what did the books that existed on the market at that time not have, and what did you think they needed (and therefore you brought that into your books.

Really interesting question. I felt that the Maiden story wasn’t complete. The official biography is great and Mick Wall is a magnificent journalist and writer, but it wasn’t up to date and also I felt that there was more to be said. Basically if I was going to tackle Maiden I knew it would be a huge job and the challenge was to uncover those additional or dissenting voices – and present them as information to be read in tandem with the official story. It’s not a replacement for any other books, more a complement to them. The more voices the better, and I vowed to interview as many people as possible.

Obviously you have to stop at some stage and actually write it but the list of contributors, interviewees, and so on, is pushing 100 now for the latest edition. Those interviews include Blaze, Paul Di’Anno, and virtually all the ex-Maiden members. It’s also the first time, as far as I know, that anyone has interviewed an on-stage Eddie.

I was very pleased to be able to tell the real story behind the exact names that made the final shortlist of three for the vocalist job to replace Bruce – and to interview all of the singers involved. That’s the kind of thing I felt needed more elaboration. It’s very pleasing as a journalist to be able to reveal what actually happened in the words of the people who were actually there (and also, in the words of people who were not involved but had been rumoured to have been up for the job). That was the motivation to do the Maiden book – to be able to add these facts to the story. Not opinions – facts, borne out by the people who auditioned. That’s just one example; there are loads more new or reasonably unknown stories, interviews, facts and trivia in the book which I am very proud to present.

3. How many books related to Iron Maiden have you written so far and have any of them been updated editions or translated into other languages?

The first Iron Maiden-related book was a biography of Bruce, which originally came out in 2007. The full title was ‘Flashing Metal with Iron Maiden and Flying Solo’ which is a bit of a mouthful, but the publisher at the time liked it so hey ho, let’s go. I was really pleased with it, as it was the first English-language book about Bruce. (I believe one came out in Farsi a year or two before that.) My book was published in Greece, Brazil, Germany, France, Bulgaria and Sweden (which sold about 25k in Swedish!!). Really cool to have these different editions out there.

It was updated in 2016 and brought out by a different publisher. This edition is called ‘Maiden Voyage’ and has a huge amount of new material, plus the foreword from Ian Gillan and about 20k words of new interviews. Clearly, nine years in Bruce-land is like 100 years in anyone else’s career – there was so much more to write about. It’s based on the original book of course, but is re-edited and re-worked.

Then in 2018 I did the full-length biography/trivia book This Day in Music’s Guide to Iron Maiden – 135,000 words of history including things like the top 50 Maiden songs, interviews with cover bands, info about the beers and merch, former members, solo bands, Sarajevo, and loads more. It was a massive undertaking and I was really pleased with it.

However, the publishers soon went bust so it didn’t really make an impact – there’s really not many copies out there so if you own one it’s a collectors’ item! As a result of that, though, all the rights in the book reverted to me and subsequently I linked up with Michael O’Mara, a massive indie publisher in the UK, to rethink what could be done with it.

The result is an updated and reworked biography, now called 50 Years of the Beast. It is a coffee-table edition in a bigger format, more like A4, with oodles of photos of the band, merchandise, posters, and amazing things from the collections of various Iron Maiden collectors across the world. People have been so amazing in sharing their glorious collections, so the book is going to look fantastic. It is coming out on 18 October, 2025, and the idea is to release it in various different countries and translations on that day too.

There is also a translation of the complete text of the Guide to Iron Maiden coming out in the summer in Portugal only on Grupo Narrativa. This will be the very last time you can get hold of the original text, rather than the new edition. So learn some Portuguese! It’s been updated up to 2025 as well, with new info since 2018.

The other Maiden-related book I was involved with was proofing the Skunkworks book that Chris Dale put together. That’s an absolutely fantastic project and I’m really pleased to have had a small part in helping it happen. The fact it’s a mix of fan stories, members of the band, people involved with that incredible Sarajevo story and more only makes it better. It’s one of the greatest books about a band I think I’ve ever read – absolutely out of this world. I can’t recommend that highly enough.

4. Can someone who calls themselves a fan objectively look at the situation and write a book about Iron Maiden or are such people the most desirable people to write such books?

It depends what kind of book it is. Books written by fans, for the fans, are also excellent. I think it’s inevitable that if you’re a fan of a band you come at it from a positive angle at the start. Though I am a fan, I put my journalist hat on and that means I try always to be objective and tell the story without fear or favour. One way to do that is doing lots of interviews with key people.

I’ve always wanted to concentrate on the music first and foremost. Yes, you have to also write about people’s personal lives and the state of the world to an extent, because you need to put the material into context. That said, I’ve never wanted to expose anyone’s private lives because to me we’re all here for the story of the music. If the private life has a measurable effect on the band or the music then of course it needs to be written about. That’s where the objectivity has to come in, in terms of professional judgement as a journalist: ‘is this relevant? And why?’.

I can’t speak for anyone else’s motivation in writing a Maiden book, though sometimes it’s clear it’s a labour of love and as such very subjective indeed. There’s room for all kinds of books, which is what’s so brilliant about music. I guess the fact that people keep wanting to buy new books about Iron Maiden means that people will also always want to write books about them too.

5. We heard that you have a plan to publish a new Maiden related book this year. When is it expected, what is it about and who is the publisher?

See above in question three.

6. What is your opinion on independent publishing and unofficial books in general. What are their advantages and disadvantages?

I’m all for the indie publishers. I’ve always believed that anyone can create anything they like, without having to ask permission; it’s really a punk ethos. Do it yourself! And these days of course it is possible to deliver something that adheres to the highest possible production standard, which before the advent of widespread broadband and high powered computers was reserved only for the publishing houses who could afford designers, printing, layup, distribution, and so on.

If you look at the way the best bootlegs are, on vinyl for example, it really shows how amazing things can be put together. I mean, the artwork on some of the recent Maiden bootlegs is absolutely professional and can stand up next to some of the official stuff (and even better than the artwork for Dance of Death, hehe). As to the content, with an unofficial book nobody’s there to specify which stories can and can’t be told. Official books always have to have the OK from the band/management/PR in order to adhere to the official story. The official story is not necessarily the same as what actually happened in real life, is it?

The disadvantage of an unofficial biography is that more often than not you’re unlikely to get the blessing of the band, and extremely unlikely to be able to interview the current band for it. You can understand why – it’s about control of the narrative. Often, though, the band themselves will have done some very revealing interviews for magazines/radio/TV/podcasts which do provide some excellent material that is already out there to refer to. What you lose however is the ability to ask follow-up questions, if there’s no access to the band.

It comes back to the question about motivation to write books: is there a story there that can perhaps only been told unofficially because the official story is at odds with the truth? That’s certainly one to ponder.

7. Iron Maiden will celebrate 50 years since their foundation at the end of this year. What do you think will change in the British and world metal scene once they are no longer active?

Ah, they’ll go on for ever. Eddie’s already giving them some special undead medicine. Metal without Maiden? Unthinkable. There’ll always be new music and new bands coming through. Maiden are unique: a product of all the things they have done since 1975, all the history, and all the culture. New bands are a product of their own time, and that will be reflected in their output and longevity.

Music needs both the original heroes like Maiden, and also new generations of bands that will be as important to their fans as Maiden is to so many millions across the globe. Luckily it’s OK to love Maiden and be a huge fan of the latest 18-year-old blasters from, say, Brazil. Metal never stops and as long as there are distorted guitars, a bit of rage, a bit of history and epic storytelling… there will be interesting and exciting bands to mosh to. What a wonderful thought.

8. Regarding writing biographical books, what do you think is your your narrowest specialty and what are you best at?

Tough question but I think I’ve turned my hand to quite a few different bands over the years. As long as there’s a story to tell, I’ll do my very best. Here’s an exclusive for you, hehe: at one stage a decade or so ago there were discussions with a now-defunct publisher about me doing a Lady Gaga book. It didn’t happen, but I was definitely up for it. As long as it’s interesting and perhaps a little bit underground or off-the-wall, then my antennae start twitching. Gaga is as mainstream as you get, but in some ways she’s also a maverick who loves Bowie, the Beatles – and Iron Maiden. I’ve interviewed her twice and found her very intelligent and a deep thinker about life, music, showmanship, and philosophy. So you never know. Lady Gaga as a construct is a fascinating character for sure, and that’s before you even start to talk about Stefani Germanotta.

I think my forte is getting under the skin of something that may be quite mainstream, and revealing all the little spiders and bugs crawling unseen in the dark corners. Again as a journalist it’s not necessarily the subject you’re focused on, but the story of how they became of huge cultural significance. The context of their rise, how and why they made the decisions they did, how and why the world sat up and noticed… there’s a hell of a lot of moving parts there and it’s fascinating to dig into that. It takes your life over for months, though, which can drive you mad.

9. Have you had the opportunity to read unofficial Iron Maiden related books and if so, which author did you like?

Stjepan Juras of course.

10. To what extent do you think being British is an extenuating circumstance for writing such books?

I guess some of Maiden’s cultural references like West Ham, football, the music scene, and perhaps their upbringing are a bit more familiar. Bruce Dickinson’s public school education is a good reference here; it’s maybe easier to understand what he went through, if you grew up with that being something that happens in the country you live in. It’s easier to understand the slang as well I think.

But I don’t think it’s essential to be from the UK to write about a UK band. In actual fact, coming from a different cultural base might even be an advantage because you can see things from a more objective standpoint, and ask your interviewees about why certain systems are the way they are in the UK. You can really get into some very serious, very enlightening conversations that way, which means you are able to ask questions that are fresh or from an angle that your interviewee may not ever have been asked before. That’s gold dust, right there.

11. What do you think about the idea of opening a web portal as a central station for all Maiden related authors?

It’s fantastic and I’m really honoured to be part of it. My fellow authors are colleagues in the bigger world of what you might call Maiden Studies, and I’ve never thought of anyone as any kind of competition. There’s an old saying: ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. One person’s success helps everyone else, and a central hub for Maiden books is so good for everyone. It’s great for fans who can get an idea of what’s out there, and what might appeal to them. It’s amazing for authors who can connect with their audience. It’s a great idea and I know it’s going to be a huge success.

12. Are you a supporter or opponent of the idea that PDF editions of the books can be downloaded for free.

There’s a saying in IT that ‘information wants to be free’. It’s inevitable that things will be bootlegged and put online for people to download. Given that the Internet is based on the dissemination of data everywhere instantaneously, the only thing you can do to control any part of that is to disseminate it yourself in the form of an official PDF of the actual text. If you don’t control that, then other people will put something out as a bootleg that doesn’t adhere to the production/content standards of your work. So, you end up with a crappy product that people do not value, or even something that is incredibly inferior. We’re back to bootlegging again here. Would you rather have an LP recorded by a crappy phone which has awful sound and you can hear people burping, farting, and having conversations – or have an LP taken from the sound desk? Same concept, really. It’s about standards.

That all said, it is generally the case that most book contracts expressly state that the only people allowed to do digital releases are the publishers themselves. I can understand it – they put a lot of money into putting out a book, distributing it, marketing, advertising, and getting it to all the places it needs to be. The finances don’t make sense if they don’t have the opportunity to sell that digital version, and the knock-on effect of that is that authors won’t get employed to write any more books.

I can see both sides of the equation here, and the only thing I’d really say is that despite it being to an extent a labour of love, writing books is difficult and takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and time. If an author can’t afford to pay their rent, they’re not going to be an author for long. It’s as simple as that really. Conversely, if the print versions are selling enough that everyone involved is able to be paid a reasonable amount for the project, then of course it’d be a different question regarding giving out free copies of the digital book.

It depends on the project: you have more freedom with digital stuff to be able to add extras such as videos, songs, links to downloads, hidden content… there’s no upper limit of wordcount either so a book can become more of a living thing. But that’s for a longer discussion isn’t it. Everything’s got to line up and make sense for a book to work out, and that includes financially. We have to be able to buy food – and buy new Maiden albums!!

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